A night when a conversation with my daughter made me feel I could move forward again

I was so glad I could see my daughter, who lives far away.

My grandchild is starting to learn words and gets cuter by the day. Seeing the couple raising their child together, supporting each other up close, put my mind completely at ease.

At dinner, my daughter suggested, "Once I put the baby to sleep, let's take a bath together."

Even though there is a kind father who values time with his child above all else, it seems the baby only wants mom when it's time to go to sleep.

Knock, knock! The sound of knocking echoed.

On the other side of the door,

my daughter stood there with a smile, saying, "Finally, the baby is asleep. Let's go to the bath."

The hotel by the sea also had an open-air bath with a sense of freedom.

The large tub for just the two of us, lit by a dim light, was a superb space where neither sound nor scenery mattered. Feeling only the presence of the pitch-black sky and the sea, my body and mind slowly relaxed in the clear water.

We talked about this and that regarding my grandchild, whom I hadn't spent time with in a while.

Impressed by the new father's parenting skills, I asked my daughter,

"Have you been reading a lot of parenting books to study?"

Then, contrary to my expectations, she replied,

"Not really. He does it based on his own instincts. Besides, he takes care of the baby while talking to me about all sorts of things."

It was a clear, confident statement.

I was taken aback, and at the same time, something welled up from deep within my chest.

Everything I had done my best to do for my children had been passed on not through words, but by embodying it.

The importance of respecting the other person and continuing to engage in dialogue while facing them.

Now that my daughter has grown up, she is naturally practicing the way of relating to people that I most wanted to pass on.

From those words, which made me so happy, I reflected on the meaning of my life up until now.

There were times when I was so chased by time and so absorbed in the moment that I don't even remember them.

Back then, when my priority was protecting my child's daily life, the years just flew by as I focused on keeping our daily routine in order.

But I think my feelings were properly conveyed.

And the very days I spent facing my child are what support me now.

Seeing the look on her face as she soaked comfortably in the bath right in front of me, I felt wrapped in warmth myself.

Suddenly, seeing my daughter as an adult made me feel that I, too, could move forward from here.